Strava

Well, my running years' off to a good start - approx 10 miles running (4 of them niggle free) and about 370 miles on the bike.

3 longish rides in there - Longnor with Dave, 3hr D&W Sherwood Pines and yesterday 70 miles to the Pines and back with 2hr fast loop.

Strava is really just adding stats and totalling up my mileage - when I get more time, I do want to hammer out a few more KOM's in the Peaks - got 7 local ones on my first ride round Belper !

It's great for KOM's and seeing what others have done.

MTBO 3hr Winter League 4 - Sherwood Pines

5th Overall. Great day out, riding well but not in the right direction !

Legs were going like the clappers, and I even did reasonably well with route choice out of and back into the forest, but sadly about 4 mistakes lost me 10-15 minutes...

• Cockup 1 - Getting from 18-19, I went through Clipstone. I should have picked up 17 & 20 en route to 19. I just didn't see this (I didn't really concentrate on the 1:50k map, just the 1:15k at the start line.
• Cockup 2 - Getting from 14-24, I went back down to the main road, along the A road, then up the Bway and down the B6407. Nightmare. I really didn't see the route through Market Warsop.
• Cockup 3 - 25 to 26, I couldn't find 25 anyway, but when I did, I didn't notice the Bridleway about 500m to the west which went due north straight to 26.
• Cockup 4 - wrong way to 21. Concentrating too hard on getting my foot down and not looking at the map enough !

Oh well, it was a brilliant 3 hours despite severe winds from the west. Cycling uphill through sand into a headwind at one point really was as tough as anyone would ever want it !

The Pines looked fantastic with the low sun and very dry trails. It would have been great to just poodle around in there.

Thanks to Dave for helping out with Lewis and of course for rescuing Teresa ! She'd had bad luck on the section marked 'severe thorns, do not ride' and got two punctures plus a broken QR lever. Lewis delighted in telling me "Daddy, you'll never guess what, we had to rescue mummy !" He was just soooo excited. No change there then !

Countdown...

Something's just telling me that I need to watch Countdown !

The guys on Singletrackworld haven't helped - funny - to quote a couple ...



"I suspect that Rachel has been the cause of the demise of more pensioners than Harold Shipman."


"Oh. Dear. God.   Forgive me, Lord, for I have just sinned.
And I'll probably sin a few more times, looking at that little sequence."

...and finally 2012 starts !

Well its 16 days into 2012 and finally I've got a run in - YAY !

New Walshes too !

The calf went after the Long Tour of Bradwell (30th Dec) and I've not had an injury that painful for a while - walking for the first week was a struggle, running for the second week was an impossibility.
Physio down at David Lloyd * 2 has sorted it and tonight I bagged a whopping 2 miles. Really, just to test it out and make sure it wouldn't go ping again.

So, tomorrow night I'll give it more like 10 miles but still easy. Offroad. Can't wait !

Xmas 2011 (inc Long Tour of Bradwell reccie)

Well, work tomorrow - best not to think about it really.
Another great Christmas - Teresa's been off all the time and Lewis (now being 5) enjoyed it amazingly.
We've been really busy, so I'll just try and do a memory dump of what we've all been up to...

• Xmas Eve, trip to Warwick to see Liz / Paul / Sam / Jack, then meet up with all the family at the Unicorn
• Xmas Day - Lewis's best pressies being the remote control car, the flashing light ball, the Pinball machine. Mum down for lunch then quick walk up to Belper lane end with nice windy weather and a lovely dinner from Teresa.  Gruffalo's child on, then kiddies Monopoly which was great fun !
• Boxing Day - Walk from Curbar Gap down then up to the Grouse. Very Windy ! Lewis helped build a den that had blown down
• 27th - Ice Skating, then Dick Whittington which I have to say is the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Teresa's mum n dads for Tea which was nice - more games and Lewis winning many prizes !
• 28th - York for the Railway Museum. Very Windy. Museum great and felt nice n Christmassy in York. We walked round the wall, then called in at a nice t shop for Wensleydale n Walnut pate with Coffee. Even Lewis kinda liked it ! Minster was £9 each so we didn't go in, then Pizza Express which was lovely. Lewis and me asleep in the back all the way back ! Mum fell over on her ankle and sprained it, so I stopped there.
• 29th - getting mum to Ripley A&E. Very helpful people. Popped home then went back for the next few nights.
• 30th - The Long Tour of Bradwell (picture pending!). 35ish miles from Bradwell 06:20. Krish, Helen, Andy Basey and Karl all had a great day of varying lengths (Karl : family stuff and Andy : 2.5 week old baby at home !). A few wrong turns around Druid Stone and just under Win Hill / Yorks Bridge but all OK. Calf problems all day and stride length just got shorter and shorter to such an extent that I swear I've never ran so slowly and the last 2 miles ! Hey - all sorted anyway by 14:30, Pint & Apple Pie but I didn't really warm up for the rest of the day. Very very achy reflecting lack of long runs. Hard with all the climbing. (6300ft)
• 31st - Helping out at Thornbridge in the afternoon followed by early doors meal in the stables bar at Monsal Head. Lovely Meal - always is there. Spent the evening planning long runs !
• 1st - NYD walk with families from Grindleford Cafe. Good to see Pete and Ruth again. Windy and wet over White Edge added to stress levels for Chris ! Warm up in the Grouse then back to cars. Watched "The Great Barrier Reef" with Lewis which he loved and Bear Grylls and Jonathan Ross in the Jungle which was good too.
• Today - Very cold ride finding ice up near Elton. This lead to plan B which ended up in 2h45m round the back of Chatsworth. Legs tired still. Lovely family walk in the afternoon up by Alport Heights and the Midshires Way. Blue Skies, Stunning.

Hand made Creche

Teresa and Jack

Olivia mad for it

Lewis and Jo

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Druids Stone, Kinder

Den Rebuilding

Remote Control Car !